{"id":6674,"library":"importlib","title":"importlib (Python 2.7 Backport)","description":"This `importlib` package on PyPI is a backport of the `importlib.import_module()` function from Python 2.7. It was created to provide this functionality for Python versions prior to 2.7 and Python 3.0. This project has been archived since November 2017 and is no longer maintained, as the functionality it backported is standard in all currently supported Python versions. It is *not* the standard library `importlib` module fundamental to Python 3's import system.","status":"abandoned","version":"1.0.4","language":"en","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://github.com/brettcannon/importlib","tags":["import","backport","python2","obsolete"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install importlib","lang":"bash","label":"Install (Python 2.x only)"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"note":"While `from importlib import import_module` is valid for the Python 2.7 standard library and later, the primary use case for this *PyPI backport* was to add `importlib.import_module` where it wasn't natively available, typically accessed as `importlib.import_module()`.","wrong":"from importlib import import_module","symbol":"import_module","correct":"import importlib\nmodule = importlib.import_module('my_module')"}],"quickstart":{"code":"import importlib\n\n# This PyPI package primarily provides importlib.import_module\n# for older Python 2.x environments where it wasn't built-in.\n# For Python 3, 'importlib' is a standard library module.\n\ntry:\n    # Attempt to dynamically import a module\n    math_module = importlib.import_module('math')\n    print(f\"Successfully imported math module. sqrt(16) = {math_module.sqrt(16)}\")\nexcept ImportError as e:\n    print(f\"Could not import module: {e}\")\n    print(\"Note: This 'importlib' PyPI package is a Python 2.7 backport and is obsolete for modern Python 3.x.\")","lang":"python","description":"A basic example demonstrating the use of `importlib.import_module()` from this backport. This package is only relevant for very old Python versions. For Python 3, `importlib` is a built-in standard library module."},"warnings":[{"fix":"For Python 2.7+ and Python 3.1+, `importlib` is a standard library. Do not install this PyPI package. Simply `import importlib` directly.","message":"This PyPI `importlib` package is a backport specifically for Python versions prior to 2.7 and for Python 3.0. It is completely obsolete and unnecessary for Python 2.7+ and Python 3.1+ where `importlib` is a standard library module. Installing it on modern Python 3 environments provides no benefit and can lead to confusion.","severity":"breaking","affected_versions":"< 2.7, 3.0"},{"fix":"Migrate to a supported Python version (Python 3.x) where `importlib` is part of the standard library and actively maintained as part of the CPython project. The functionality provided by this backport (`importlib.import_module()`) is built-in.","message":"The `importlib` PyPI project has been explicitly archived by its maintainer since November 2017 and is no longer under maintenance. No new releases, bug fixes, or security updates will be provided.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"Always confirm whether you need the standard library's `importlib` (which is highly likely for modern Python) or this long-abandoned backport (which is highly unlikely). For Python 3, simply `import importlib`.","message":"There is significant confusion between the PyPI `importlib` package (this backport) and the `importlib` module in Python's standard library. The standard library `importlib` is a powerful, actively developed module in all Python 3 versions, offering extensive functionality for programmatic importing, module metadata (`importlib.metadata`), and resource access (`importlib.resources`). This PyPI package only backports a tiny fraction of that functionality.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"All versions"},{"fix":"When performing relative imports with `importlib.import_module()`, specify the `package` argument, e.g., `importlib.import_module('.relative_module', package='my_package')`.","message":"When performing dynamic imports, be mindful of relative imports. If `importlib.import_module()` is used with a relative name (e.g., `.mymodule`), the `package` argument must be provided as the anchor package name, otherwise an `ImportError` or `ModuleNotFoundError` may occur.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"N/A (relevant for standard library `importlib.import_module()`)"},{"fix":"Update code to use `importlib.util.find_spec()` to obtain a `ModuleSpec`, and then `loader.exec_module()` for module execution.","message":"For complex dynamic loading scenarios in Python 3, `importlib.find_loader()` is deprecated since Python 3.4. It should be replaced with `importlib.util.find_spec()`. Similarly, `loader.load_module()` is deprecated since 3.4 and will be removed in 3.15; use `loader.exec_module()` instead.","severity":"deprecated","affected_versions":"Standard library `importlib` in Python 3.4+"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[]}